


Bruttiboni & Pizza a la Arnoldo

by PrincesaParkerina



Series: Vanilla/Frutilla [2]
Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-25 23:51:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18712237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincesaParkerina/pseuds/PrincesaParkerina
Summary: During his first week in School in Argentina,Teen Arnoldo keeps his mom (mostly) updated on the events of his life away from her.





	Bruttiboni & Pizza a la Arnoldo

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something....that exists....because I wanted it to.

"You have no idea how happy I am to know mio bambino is making new friends already!!!" Nunciatina's excited shout could probably be heard in the entire house.

Arnoldo rolled his eyes good-naturedly and stretched some more around his large bed,pens,books,notebooks and dirty laundry scattered everywhere,the brunet apprentice usually likes things tidied up and neat but his mom wasn't here to do it for him and he just felt so tired (and perhaps a bit lazy) to do it himself,the teen waiter grabbed yet another bruttiboni off the plate he brought with him to the large bedroom.

He baked the delicious,traditional biscuits himself,his dad said it didn't have enough vanilla essence,the older man was right,Arnoldo isn't really the biggest vanilla fan and made the treats the way he'd personally like best,adding more hazelnut pieces to it instead.

 

Don Enzo definitely did not approve of that one bit.

Nonetheless if Nunciatina was here she would be hugging him tight,showering his round face in kisses and pinching his cheeks,her little Arnoldo making  nuovi amici is a big and exciting archievement.

Actually managing to keep them it's a downright miracle of it's own,the cook apprentice just might be a little bit too stubborn,short-tempered and possessive to his own good,but the older,blonde woman knows that deep within her fierce and determined boy's heart,there's pure love and affection,passion to do flawlessly whatever his agitated mind sets him up to.

Most times,that is just hard to keep up with if you choose willingly to be in Arnoldo's life.

Other times,you were the one to put him in this world,knowing full well he's destined to great things but only able to think about how much you miss him curled in your arms the moment he's gone.

Or that might be just how the caring,older woman feels,only being able to talk to him without even seeing him from now on,not being able to see if he's taking care of himself,if he's adapting well to the new home,if he cleaned his room,did homework,actually slept a full night,if he's been eating healthy,they've talked practically everyday ever since the aspiring cook and Don Enzo left home over a month ago.

Arnoldo started school this week,which should mean more material for their near daily convos.

"I suppose,mamma,it's no big deal really,they liked me the moment they saw me! I mean,who can resist me? They saw no choice but to immediately invite me to their large group of friends! You should have seen it,amata mamma,my first week at the new school and everyone already adores me!" Arnoldo told his made-up tale with rehearsed,deep confidence to his tone.

Hopefully through the phone he can actually manage to fool her,if she noticed,she didn't let her voice show either.

"Oh,sweetheart,I can only imagine... Now,tell me,any crushes yet? Anyone who caught your eye? Hm? Mamma wants to know everything!!!" the blonde,kind woman's voice remained light and enthusiastic,brushing away for the time being the smallest of possibilities that her boy might be bluffing.

He couldn't do that to her,he wouldn't dare.

Arnoldo's face heated instantly and the future cook didn't have to see his reflection to know how red his features definitely were right now,the brunet teen nearly choked on a piece of bruttiboni,draping a nearby blanket over his face in embarassment,even if nobody could see him.

Honestly,with his papà around,the stubborn teen could never be sure,or feel completely safe for that matter.

By the relaxed posture the determined teen had while sprawled all over his bed,wearing loose light blue sweatpants and a red,design shirt with silverware stamped all over it,mindlessly munching small baked goods away before Doña Nunciatina's 'intrusive' question,you wouldn't be able to tell.

"Mamma,school literally just started,it's too soon to tell but I might have a few people in mind" Arnoldo started out,not really being able to hide how nervous this detour in conversation really gets him.

It's not like it's a subject they never addressed before,Nunciatina was actually the first person the proud teen confessed his very first crush to,around 10 or 11 years old,before this,she always made sure to tell her son he could confide in her about anything and her boy seemed to do just that.

Why would he feel the need to hide anything from her,especially now? 

He was never afraid to tell her whenever he saw a boy or girl that caught his interest,if she felt bothered at all about this particular fact,she never voiced it,what matters to her is if the person in question treats her ragazzino right.Arnoldo's first crush was some snooty pre-teen named Giuliano,the sweet yet stern mother had a bad feeling about that boy the moment she saw him,she was thankful they grew up to be very much nemesis instead,Nunciatina swears she had no involvement in that process whatsoever,she just trusted her Arnoldo would follow his instincts and never let himself be pushed around by anyone,no matter how he felt about them.

"A _few_ people?? Oh,mi bambino does not waste time!!! Tell me everything about them right this instant!!!" Nunciatina teased,letting the huge amount of pride she felt show in her voice,she already had a couple of guesses due to previous talks,Arnoldo only curled further against his large,fluffy,silky pillow,reaching his hand out of the blanket for another bruttiboni and groaning upon realizing they were gone.Dammit,he's still hungry,why couldn't he just order pizza with his dad's credit card like a normal teenager.

Not everything should have to be made from scratch,Francis' place had some very cleverly hidden boxes of Fruit Loops that look like a very good idea right now,Arnoldo smirked,sitting up a little against his headboard.

Just seeing Francis in general AND sneaking out a few cereal boxes from his place sound just like a plan.

Although Arnoldo has the feeling Francis would willingly give him a cereal box if the proud cook apprentice simply asked,but that would ruin his reputation for sure,he can't be caught eating sugary cereal even less asking for it.

You'd have to kill him for it and maybe not even then.

Ever since Arnoldo stepped into American territory,more than a handful of people had caught his attention yet there was only one person who stood out from the crowd and stuck on the aspiring cook's mind,refusing to leave.

Arnoldo met him....about 4 days ago on his first day at the new school and he had told his mom all about it,except the part about the boy's existence simply not allowing the future brilliant chef to think quite cohesively ever since.

Today has been a good day so far,even if the large teen slept through most of his classes,he still had lunch with Francis,Topa,Natalio and Harmony,the stubborn,brunet teen brought his family's exclusive tallarines con salsa, which he made Francis eat until the plate looked nearly clean.

He was promised to get punished by Don Enzo all the way home from the restaurant because a customer complained about a dessert he wasn't even the one who prepared,it was Inés Pinaca,a beautiful yet very rude,incompetent waitress and assistant in the kitchen who was hired by his dad,nearly 18-years-old,flirted with him their entire shift on her first day there then got him in trouble any chance she could since he constantly refused her advances.

He likes girls also,Inés got gorgeous black hair,nice curves,small waist,thick thighs and...a large,voluminous front,honestly he had rejected her mostly because they were at work,also Arnoldo's way too sure about how she got this job in the first place,he shuddered just thinking about it.

It's another reason why the young apprentice just can't understand why his papà is so persistent about him in that aspect,it just looks like the man can have anyone he wants.

The older,restaurant owner and experienced chef really didn't need to be trying this persistently to get into his proud figlio's pants.

It didn't take Arnoldo too long to realize Inés is no girl,she's the literal devil,same devil roots his papà probably came from too,no physical beauty in this world can reverse or excuse that.

Unfortunately this applies to both,worst part about feeling attraction towards multiple genders.

Inés had mixed up the ingredients of the raspberry pie a la Enzo,making it outright impossible to eat due to the insane amount of salt it contained,she acted innocent and blamed Arnoldo when questioned about it,who deeply dreaded his return home.

Once they did finally get home,Nunciatina called and her timing could have not been more perfect.

It's like she knew,except if she did,she'd be here and two miliseconds from killing her ex-husband on the spot.

Her children's safety (and that includes her niece and nephew she raised) will always come first.

"Well....there's plenty of cute people around school...there's this set of Impossibly cute twins,one's a charmer,one's a sweetheart,the charmer is called Rolando,probably kissed everyone else from school,the sweetheart,who also just happens to be the one who's cuter in between them is Ricardo,there's Natalio,there's just something endearing and mysterious about him I can't really pinpoint,there's Topa!!! He's definitely the cutest out of everyone I just mentioned,has a lovely singing voice,Harmony is very pretty but I really don't do the whole meditation thing,her older sister is a hot Spanish Teacher who's kind of a creep,so she's off." Arnoldo rambled excitedly,simply glad to just still have his mom in his life,in general,time was flying fast,it would probably get too late to go to Francis today to make him and his brother dinner.

Like the cook apprentice did yesterday,shame,he wanted to make a habit of this.

"Oh,what has she done that made you get to this conclusion,mío dolce pane? Are you okay? If you want I'll-" the experienced,blonde cook said with clear concern and hints of anger to her voice.

"No no,mamma,she gives me a bad feeling,that's all,it's all inside my head,I'm sure,you don't have to worry about niente..." the teen apprentice tried to cover quickly.He knew for a fact that Miss Melody Aidez had chased Natalio,Aquilles,Doris and Topa amongst other kids,offering to help up their grades in exchange for...favors from her,going as far as trying to seduce the teens whose age-range was in between 15-17,the only ones that were her actual students were the oldests,Natalio and Aquilles.

When Miss Aidez tried her moves on Doris,the short-tempered 15-year-old hit the woman with some very good,well trained karate moves to her face and stomach until the teacher could barely breathe,Arnoldo grinned brightly at that,he gave nothing for the short,girly,aspiring designer when he was introduced to her.

But the fiery,pale green-eyed girl did not waste time showing him and everyone else around him what she's really capable of.No wonder Francis is quite fond of her,she's a bit like Arnoldo himself if his passion was actually designing clothes and practicing martial arts.

Miss Aidez took a leave,Arnoldo's sure the long-haired woman still can't breathe properly.Francis was comforting Harmony at lunch today,the young girl was devastated to find out the awful news about the big sister she always looked up to turning out to be a predator.

It can't be easy for anyone.

"Va bene,mi fido di te.What about that Inés girl from the Ristorantino? You said she was beautiful then never spoke of her again...." Nunciatina said curiously,by this point Arnoldo was going down the stairs to check if there was any leftover food that didn't need to be cooked from scratch on their fridge,he really hoped there still was.The overworked teen sighed heavily,he had praised Inés a lot upon first meeting her a few weeks ago,that small flame of attraction has long turned to ashes.

"She's....not good for me,I told you she's older and I found out she's already got someone else so...don't bother with her,seriously." That someone also happens to be my 50-year-old dad and your ex-husband,Arnoldo cleverly chose to keep that information out.

"I'm so sorry to hear that,mío carino bambino! Tell me then about that sweet boy you helped a couple days ago in school! Francis,was it? You've talked about him quite a bit since then." Arnoldo could sense the smirk on her voice,the proud teen groaned dramatically,both for the affected tone mentioning his biggest crush AND finding no leftovers in the fridge.

There _were_  all ingredients necessary to do a family-sized Pizza a la Enzo though,a mischievous grin found itself adorning Arnoldo's round features,it's no fun to cook alone,the brunet apprentice wonders if (his) Francis is busy right now,if he is,Arnoldo still intends to show up anyway.

The Grahams had to be out of their minds to refuse a legit,traditional,Italian,Bertolazzi Family exclusive Pizza.

Francis is different,he's just not simply cute,Arnoldo knows the slim teen only for a couple days and he already knows there’s just so much more to the curly-haired boy yet to be uncovered.

"Mammaaaaa,can't we talk about anything else? You don't see me asking if you met anyone new,I mean,come ooon,you're on your mid-thirties! You still got a whole life ahead of y-" Arnoldo started,not really keeping the amusement off his voice,his mother had married young,at 18,giving birth to him a year later,never finishing school or attending college,it didn't stop her from being the beyond wise,skilled,clever,stern and fierce yet loving and caring woman she turned out to be and Arnoldo loved dearly.

Nunciatina deserved and could do much better than his dad,the aspiring cook was sure of that.

"W-well,have you cleaned your room,giovanotto??? Done your homework? I'm sure you have much more to worry about than my personal life." Nunciatina scolded promptly,Arnoldo could practically feel his ears being pulled,ouch,he reluctantly put her on speaker briefly so he could text Francis to tell the talented teen,he'll be coming over.

"O-of course I did,mamma,the room looks so pristine and spotless I think I'm even able to see my reflection on the floor,shame I can't show you,it was some really nice work too,besides....you already know about Francis,neat curly hair,brown and green eyes,the most breathtaking and contagious smile I've ever seen in my life,when he talks it's like all lights turn to him,he's delicate like the everlasting white flowers that can only be found by the tallest of snowy mountains,he's rarer to find than them too,I genuinely believe this one flower has only one copy in the entire mondo and it's him." the teen apprentice might have gushed just a little,already back at his room,combing the brown curly ends of his hair to perfection.It's not easy to look this good all the time.

"Awwww,mío ragazzino is in love!!!! I never heard you talk like this about anyone before.This Francis sounds lovely,I can't wait to meet him!!!" the older woman cooed,making Arnoldo blush yet again,his hands shaking while fetching the keys to his car.

Francis had texted back not long after,saying he was bored doing Algebra homework and pizza would be great right now,that's all the proud teen needed to read,really.

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you too,listen,I gotta hang up,I kinda have to go prepare dinner now-" Arnoldo said,jumping out his window,backpack with all the ingredients he'd need,slung over one arm,heading for the garage.

"Why would you need to hang up to do that? It's not even time for dinner! And if it were,you can still do both just fine! Don't you enjoy my company?? -" 

"Of course I do,mamma,I'll just be very busy and I really need to focus-" Arnoldo tried to reason,after a long minute,he finally found the pizza emojis to send Francis.

"Arnoldo,are you suggesting that I am disturbing you??? Keeping you from focusing on your work??? Look right at my face and tell me-" the young apprentice grumbled,complaining to himself,he has no time for this.

"Ciao,mamma,love you too!!! Tell Rocco I told him to stay out of trouble-" Arnoldo chose to say out loud,thick fingers tapping impatiently at his steering wheel.

"What trouble? He's been a lovely ragazzo lately-" Arnoldo hung up quickly,driving down the driveaway,his mom would not be happy to be hung up on like this but it's already 9pm and there's still a pizza to be baked.

His dad would not be happy to know he's gone late again but it will be worth it.

Just like yesterday.

* * *

"So.... Arnoldo coming over again or what? That Acquacotta a La Whoever or whatever it's called was the most delicious thing I ever tasted in my life...." Julio hummed contentedly,dreamy olive eyes looking up at the ceiling fan like it enchanted his very being,pretending to help a very frustrated and tired looking Francis with his Algebra homework.

"Yes,he is,he talked about pizza and sent a bunch of random emojis,also...just don't talk about him like that,it's weird,it makes me feel like we're using him to get free homemade food when I genuinely... _enjoy_ his company..." Francis trailed off,blushing lightly,just wanting to get this over with before Arnoldo gets here.

None of this will get done if he's here,Francis is too sure of that,if anything the smart teen will end up helping Arnoldo with his own homework since Topa said the aspiring cook has been sleeping through his classes,the proud teen denies it with a passion but it's clear he doesn't sleep enough during the hours he should and it worries Francis.

The raven-haired teen could not find the right answer to this particular question no matter how hard he tried to concentrate,his older brother bothering him every 3 seconds was not helping either,the talented teen did not have to look up to know the huge grin that took over Julio's face.

"You...... _like_ him." the aspiring filmmaker and professional clown nudged Francis' shoulder playfully,almost making the younger teen scribble all over his notebook and ruin it altogether.

"Stop it! Of course I like him,he's been a good friend!" Francis exclaimed in exasperation.

"You know very well that's not even remotely what I meant,you _like-like_ him!!! You shouldn't be afraid to tell me! No one knows you better than I do...." Julio teased his little brother some more,poking at his bony sides then holding onto to the boy's frail shoulders with both arms,rocking them together,Francis dropped his head over his chest slightly,looking down at incomprehensible sets of numbers,small grin creeping at the corners of his thin lips despite his current dilemma.

"It's just- You're just so annoying about everything,besides it's too early to tell-" the younger Graham sibling said with pure honesty to his voice,Julio's eyes going wide,about to celebrate this bit of crucial information when the bell rang.

"PIZZA ARRIVED!!!" the older sibling practically jumped from his spot beside Francis on the floor leaning against the couch.

"Hey!!!! You're forgetting an important detail...." Julio didn't like the smug smile Francis had when he turned back to face the skilled teen,already halfway accross the room.

"You DO know that Arnoldo,Future Grand Chef won't simply bring already baked and ready to eat Pizza,right??" Francis giggled sweetly,Julio groaned loudly,dragging his feet dramatically the rest of the way to the door.

"THIS IS _SO_  UNFAIR!!! Why couldn't my baby bro crush on a Delivery Boy- Oh hey,Arnoldo!!! House is all yours,I'm easy to take care of,Francis there is very high-maintenance if I do say so myself...." Julio pointed at the very embarassed boy circled by papers and a laptop abandoned beside him.

"HEY!!!!" Francis shouted indignantly from his spot.

Arnoldo left his shoes by the carpet near the door and walked in,not caring to hide the laugh that demonstrated how amused he was by the whole situation.

He could see himself as part of this family already.

**Author's Note:**

> Pansexual and still always loyal and devoted Arnoldo is a thing.


End file.
